Review of the Prior Art
Soles for hiking boots and the like are presently fabricated as distinct articles of manufacture for sale to various boot fabricators. The soles are affixed, as by sewing, gluing or the like, to an upper portion of a shoe or boot in a terminal stage of manufacture of the boot.
Hiking boots of various styles and designs are presently commercially available essentially worldwide. The general objective of a hiking boot is to provide sufficient support for the foot of a hiker that the hiker does not become tired when walking long distances over various terrains. For example, if a person is hiking a long distance wearing shoes such as tennis shoes which are very flexible both in the soles and in the uppers, the hiker rapidly becomes tired. This is due to the extreme flexibility of the shoe which results in the foot muscles, and also the muscles in the ankle, being flexed and worked as walking occurs. In a hiking boot, on the other hand, the sole of the boot is substantially stiffer than in a tennis shoe and provides substantially greater support for the ankle. As a result, during walking while wearing a hiking boot, the foot muscles are flexed and worked to a substantially reduced degree, with the result that the foot muscles are not so rapidly fatigued.
The soles of prior hiking boots, when seen in plan view (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the bottom of the sole), have rounded rear ends and when viewed in elevation, have a vertical or substantially vertical rear profile. This heel configuration means that, in normal walking, the initial contact between the boot sole and the ground occurs essentially at a point. The boot can pivot about this point before the remainder of the sole tread surface engages the ground. When walking on rough terrain, as on rocky surfaces, it is not uncommon for the boot to pivot in an undesired manner, thereby placing strain on the muscles associated with the ankle. If of a modest level, such strains result in tiring of the ankle muscles, and if extreme, can result in an ankle sprain. Also, this configuration of prior hiking boot soles results in shocks being applied to the hiker, further tiring the hiker.
Inasmuch as the basic objective of a hiking boot is to protect the hiker from injury, as by sprained ankles and the like, and also to minimize working of the foot and ankle muscles as walking occurs, it is apparent that the greater the extent to which the boot protects the hiker from muscle sprains, strains and fatigue, the better the design of the boot. The design of the boot sole is a significant aspect, if not a principal aspect of the boot in this regard. We have discerned that existing hiking boot sole designs can be substantially improved.